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Sons of Malice
The Sons of Malice are a Renegade Chapter of Chaos Space Marines who turned to the service of the Chaos God Malal or Malice some time prior to the start of the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41. Chapter History As with many Chapters, it is unclear during which Founding the Sons of Malice were created or what their original Chapter name was before their corruption. It is suspected that they were one of the 20 Space Marine Chapters referred to as the Astartes Praeses, which, according to the Mythos Angelica Mortis, were Founded with the express purpose of guarding the regions surrounding the Eye of Terror. Long before the Sons of Malice revealed themselves to be Traitors, they were noted as being an obstinate Chapter, flaunting the teachings of the Codex Astartes in favour of their own preferred military organisation. Regarded by many others in the Imperium as an untrustworthy Chapter thanks to a number of misdemeanors, from the Chapter’s unwillingness to fight alongside other Imperial forces to an unperceived, yet "discomforting aura", it is alarming that the Sons of Malice were not sooner brought to the attention of the Inquisition, especially due to their widely-reported custom of cannibalistically consuming their defeated foes. Fall to Darkness Events leading to the Chapter's excommunication began following the successful end of the Cilix 225 Campaign against heretics who had threatened to depressurize three underwater hive cities on that world, and ultimately led the Chapter to declare itself to be both enemies of the Imperium of Man and the Forces of Chaos even as it took up service with a Chaos God, the Renegade God Malal, also called Malice, the Hierarch of Anarchy and Terror. Perhaps the Chapter's most eerie quality is that the Sons of Malice reportedly fight in utter silence, and those who have fought against them cite this as the prime source of the deeply disturbing aura surrounding them. Kathal, the Captain of the 1st Company of the Sons of Malice, was granted the honour of leading the Chapter's victory rites after the successful completion of the mission on Cilix 225. These rites bordered on cannibalism, and were observed by Inquisitor Pietas, a senior member of the Ordo Hereticus who had accompanied the Astartes to Cilix 225. Although flesh-eating rituals are not uncommon among the Space Marines, particularly among Successor Chapters of the Blood Angels, Pietas was horrified by the Sons of Malice's behaviour and believing them to have been corrupted by some Chaotic taint, mobilised a strike force of Adepta Sororitas Celestians to deal with the heretics. The Sisters made planetfall on the Sons of Malice's homeworld of Scelus right in the midst of the Chapter at the height of their victory celebrations. Kathal and his troops responded to the interference with their sacred Chapter rites by savagely attacking the Inquisitorial strike force, defeating the Celestians. Kathal dragged the meddling Inquisitor before the Chapter altar where she was ritually sacrificed and her flesh devoured by the Sons of Malice. Following this direct blow against the Imperium, the Sons of Malice were declared Excommunicate Traitoris by the High Lords of Terra and now reside within the Eye of Terror, from which they wage a hate-fueled war against both the Imperium they believed betrayed them, as well as against all other Forces of Chaos, for the Sons of Malice have become the instruments of Malal, the Renegade God of Chaos who grows in power by assaulting his fellow Chaos Gods and their servants, for Chaos ever feeds upon itself. Notable Campaigns *'Cilix 225 Campaign (41st Millennium)' - The Sons of Malice successfully prevented a band of heretics from detonating weapons that would have depressurised 3 underwater hive cities on the Ocean World of Cilix 225. *'The 13th Black Crusade (999.M41)' - During Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade the Sons of Malice fought against the Imperial forces, trying to reclaim their Chapter homeworld of Scelus. They proved unsuccessful in this effort, though they engaged and bloodied both Imperial and Chaotic forces. Chapter Homeworld The Scelus Sub-sector is a lonely, isolated area of space on the western edge of the Eye of Terror in the Segmentum Obscurus. Scelus, the Feral World that was the capital planet of the sub-sector, was the Chapter homeworld of the Sons of Malice, and was declared Perdita at the time the Chapter turned upon the Imperium. A cold, desolate place, Scelus is home to the savage and barbaric tribes of humans from which the Sons of Malice recruit their number. It is made up of jagged, blackened mountain ranges, with almost no moisture in the atmosphere at all. It is a barren, rocky world whose meager population ekes out a precarious existence on the flanks of the more sheltered mountain ranges. The native tribes were almost entirely eradicated by the Cadian 331st Regiment of the Imperial Guard in a planet-wide campaign of genocide following the Sons of Malice's excommunication after it was revealed that the grisly tendencies that led to the Sons of Malice’s excommunication were found to be rooted in the barbaric religious practices of the feral population. The tribes people of Scelus may have inadvertently become worshipers of Malal, who the people of Scelus called Malice, a recognised if somewhat marginalised member of the Ruinous Powers. The Labyrinth, a Space Hulk, is the closest thing the Sons of Malice currently have to a permanent base, although they only visit it once per century. On this occasion, a small number of Battle-Brothers of the Chapter volunteer to participate in the "Challenge of the Labyrinth", an ultimate trial of skill and wits undergone by those who wish to prove their worth to Malal. Chapter Organisation Since they first appeared in the Imperial records, the Sons of Malice have been regarded as a non-conformist Chapter, refusing to follow the teachings of the Codex Astartes. Whereas it is usual to field 10 companies in a Chapter, the Sons of Malice possess 11 (equivalent to the sacred number of their patron, Malice). The 11th Company is made up of selected members of the elite 1st Company and was, prior to his disappearance, led personally by the Sons of Malice's former Chapter Master Ba’kel. That the Sons of Malice effectively have two companies of Veterans is not such an unusual thing given the overzealous nature of the Chapter where combating the forces of the Ruinous Powers is concerned. In comparison to the other Traitor Legions and Renegade Chapters of Chaos Space Marines, the general organisation of the Sons of Malice is not that far from the Codex norm. What equates to Tactical, Assault and Devastator Squads can clearly be found, although the latter often field a more diverse selection of the traditional Astartes support weapons. Another peculiarity amongst the Sons of Malice when compared to other Renegade Chapters of the Chaos Space Marines is that the psykers of the Chapter have retained the traditional blue colours worn by Loyalist Librarians. Chapter Combat Doctrine The Sons of Malice are vicious, brutal and bloodthirsty in the extreme, with just a hint of restraint. In the vast majority of their reported actions, this Renegade Chapter favours an infantry-based close assault force, often backed up by remnants of Scelus’ feral tribesmen and foul turncoat Traitor Guardsmen as well as various other downtrodden desperados. Often the auxiliary elements of an attacking force act as a distraction whilst the Sons of Malice themselves prepare for the right moment to make a sudden deathblow strike from forward positions, be it through prior infiltration, teleportation or other insidious means. It has been noted that the Sons of Malice often operate in squad formations larger than can be accommodated by regular transport vehicles such as the Rhino, and that other vehicles such as tanks and artillery, are rarely sighted alongside them. Chapter Beliefs The Sons of Malice are Chaos-worshiping Traitors, that much is known, however the aspect of Chaos that they venerate is not, for it is certainly not any of the four major known Chaos Gods. Ascertaining anything of the Sons of Malice's belief system is hard at best given the vow of silence they have apparently taken. The only established facts are that the number 11 is of great significance to them as is the taking of trophies (particularly those of other Renegade Chapters, warbands and the Traitor Legions). That the Sons of Malice are known to only rarely be supported in battle by daemons is also considered relevant to their religious practices. It has been noted however that on these rare occasions that daemons have appeared alongside the Chapter, they appear as those previously documented (Bloodletters or Plaguebearers, etc.) but have been chastised or bound, and they often wear the distinctive black and white livery of the Sons. Once every century the entire Chapter returns to the ancient and scarred Space Hulk known as the Labyrinth to honour the Chapter’s blood rites. It is consecrated ground for the Sons of Malice, the only place they can rally to as a Chapter since their homeworld of Scelus was so wickedly defiled by the Inquisition. No matter their commitments elsewhere, no matter the blood that had to be shed on other worlds, the Sons of Malice would always return there at the appointed time, ready to make their sacrifices. Their rites had to be strictly observed to the abandonment of all other concerns. Only one Chaotic deity was offered reverence in this cold empty vessel: the exalted Malice, the Renegade God, the Outcast, the Lost, the Hierarch of Anarchy and Terror. Slaves from every race and ilk are brought back to the Labyrinth to be ritually sacrificed to the Renegade God. Each Battle-Brother then retreats to their cells where they begin their oblations by eating their captives alive -- the massive halls echoing with the din of their unheeded screams for mercy. Each century, when the Sons of Malice returned to the carcass of the huge and ancient vessel, a select few would volunteer to face the Challenge of the Labyrinth. None were ever seen again, but it was said that those strong and cunning enough to overcome the trials of the Labyrinth were elevated to become members of the Doomed Ones, Malice's elite sept of holy warriors. Every member of this elite coterie was granted Malice's divine gifts of untold power and sent off to walk the dark paths of the galaxy, slaying their enemies among the servants of Order and Chaos alike with cold efficiency. Only the strongest and most cunning will survive the challenges of the Labyrinth and escape. The rest of the challengers will either die in the attempt or be transformed into the foul mutant beasts that inhabit the bowels of the ancient Hulk; the vessel’s close proximity to the Warp slowly corrupting them. Each victor, after joining the Doomed Ones carries on the business of the Renegade God until their 11th, and final member, completes the challenge and joins their ranks. This final champion, Brother Invictus, has recently completed the challenge. Soon he and his fellow Doomed Ones will be ritually sacrificed in order to summon their patron lord Malice into realspace. With their God by their side, the Sons of Malice will begin their Crusade to take back that which was stolen from them – Scelus, their former homeworld. They will not let any forces of the foul Ruinous Powers nor servants of the Corpse Emperor stand in their way. Not with their Dark God by their side. Chapter Gene-Seed The gene-seed of the Sons of Malice does not appear on record in any of the Adeptus Mechanicus' or Imperial archives. Whether this is due to accident or design cannot be discerned. As the Sons of Malice are recorded to have been one of the 20 Chapters of the Astartes Praeses, it is thought that like so many Chapters of Astartes they are of Ultramarines stock. A more likely possibility is that they were Founded using Blood Angels gene-seed, the cannibalistic nature of the Sons of Malice being the primary evidence for this supposition. Scholars who agree with this interpretation call attention to the Lamenters Chapter who are also believed to have been descended from the Blood Angels. In this case, parallels are drawn between the Lamenters' brush with cannibalistic heresy during the Badab War, and the so-called "aura of doom" that surrounds them, much as it surrounds the Sons of Malice. Notable Sons of Malice * Kathal - Once the Captain of the 1st Company, Kathal was granted the honour of leading the Chapter in its victory rites after the successful Cilix 225 Campaign. It was these rights that led the Inquisitor Pietas to declare the Sons of Malice heretics and ultimately to her death at the hands of the Chapter. It was Kathal who ritually sacrificed the intruding Inquisitor and ate her remains alongside his Battle-Brothers before they turned Renegade and found a new home in the service of Malice. After the disappearance of the Chapter Master Ba'kel Draak, Kathal replaced him as the Sons of Malice's new Chapter Master. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours The Sons of Malice Chapter paints their Power Armour quartered black and white, with silver and black trim. Chapter Badge The Sons of Malice Chapter badge is a skull that is white on its left side and black on its right, very similar to the Mark of Malal or Malice. Sources *''Codex: Chaos Space Marines'' (3rd Edition), (2nd Codex), p. 76 *''Codex: Eye of Terror'' (3rd Edition) *''Heroes of the Space Marines'' (Anthology) - The Labyrinth (Short Story) by Richard Ford * Index Astartes, ''"Sons of Malice" *''White Dwarf 303 (UK) *''White Dwarf'' 281, p. 72 Category:S Category:Renegade Space Marine Chapters Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Chaos Space Marine Legions